The Eight Year Old Matchmaker
by Adventurer411
Summary: Jeremy wants to have a nice, peaceful, Christmas vacation with Aelita. But his cousin Jenny has other plans. JxA.
1. Prologue: My dear cousin, Jenny

"Son, I forgot to tell you that your cousin, Jenny, is staying with us for the holidays," Mr. Belpois said as he and Jeremy got Aelita's bags from the car.

There had been a great deal of argument over this particular topic.

Aelita had insisted that she could get her own bags, but Jeremy had doubly insisted, along with his father, that she was their guest and they could get her stuff.

Now that he knew she was coming, Jeremy didn't know whether to be happy or groan, knowing that his cousin's personality could lead to his happiness or demise, depending on how she acted.

Still feeling guilty, Aelita walked inside with the two as they put the bags in Jeremy's room.  
Suddenly, they heard a car engine outside.

"That must be Jenny," Jeremy's father said.

Jeremy and Aelita walked outside, standing in front of the house as a white car pulled up.

The door opened and a girl with auburn hair and pigtails came out.

She ran over, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Jeremy!" the girl squealed, latching onto and almost knocking him over.

Smiling widely, Aelita watched with mild amusement.

"Hey Jenny," Jeremy smiled down at her, affectionately ruffling her hair.

"It's Jenn, and I told you not to do that," she frowned, trying to fix it. Jenn turned her attention to Aelita.

"Hi!" she chirped brightly. "Jeremy talks about you all the time. Are you his girlfriend? You're very pretty. Do you like reading?"

Jenn asked the questions so fast, poor Aelita could barely understand.

Fortunately, Jeremy had practice dealing with her, and at the second question, his face had turned a lovely hue of red.

"Jenn, you know people can't keep up with you. Talk slower," the blond ordered.

"You can keep up," she smirked at him.

He scowled.

"Okay... I said, that Jeremy talks about you basically all the time. In fact, I can't really remember a time when he wasn't telling me how smart you were, or how nice, or how beautifu-"

"OKAY, I think that's enough, Jenn. Why don't I help with your bags?" Jeremy interrupted loudly, his face the same shade of red it had before.

Jenn smiled sweetly at Aelita, who had turned the exact same color as her bubble-gum pink hair and looked at Jeremy curiously.

He hurriedly looked away.

Then she headed to the car with Jeremy.

"Hey, Jenn? I need you to behave this break. I don't need any of your normal antics."

"Jeremy, you know me, I always behave," Jenn said, smiling innocently as she and Jeremy each grabbed a bag.

"Look, I don't need you embarrassing me in front of Aelita, alright?" Jeremy sighed as they walked into the house.

"Translation: 'I don't need you embarrassing me in front of the girl I like'," Jenn said. "I'll try not to."

Jeremy now faintly resembled a blond tomato.

"I didn't know anyone could be that red," Jenn commented. "Man, you must really like that girl."

"I don't like Aelita, okay? She's my friend, and nothing more," Jeremy said firmly, although his blush convinced Jenn otherwise.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. My mom is leaving. I'm going to go say goodbye," she said, bolting suddenly out of the room.

Jeremy sighed. If Jenn planned to be this way for the whole time she was here, it would be a tough break, at least for him.

This girl was _way _too smart for her age.

"Is she always like that?" Aelita asked from the doorway.

Having been jolted out of his thoughts, Jeremy jumped as his cheeks turned red, fervently hoping she hadn't heard the conversation. Trying to compose himself, the young blond put the bag that he'd still been holding (For which reason, he knew not) down and turned to face her.

"Yeah, she's almost as hyper as Odd… Don't be fooled though, because she's really smart, too much so for her age," Jeremy added.

Aelita giggled. "Intelligence must run in the family then," she said.

"Pretty much," Jeremy nodded. He went out to get another bag just as Jenn came in.

She perched herself on the bed after putting the bag down. "So, what do you think of Jeremy?" she asked, her bubbly side gone. The girl sounded more logical now.

Aelita saw what Jeremy had meant.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, what do you think? Is he nice, smart... handsome?" Jenn asked with an innocent smile, laying down on the bed and looking at her upside-down.

"Yes, he's very nice, and handsome- uh, smart," Aelita seemed to catch herself, cheeks turning a cotton candy pink.

"Oh, okay," Jenn said, giving a smile that unnerved the older pinkette, making her shift uncomfortably.

"Jenn, what did I tell you about smiling like that?" Jeremy asked from the doorway.

"I was smiling like that? Oh… It makes other people feel weird, and that I shouldn't do it," Jenn mumbled, expression suddenly changing to a more adorable one.

"Right. Come on Aelita, I'll show you my room," Jeremy said, in actuality giving her an excuse to leave his (What he thought was senile) cousin.

"Sure," Aelita said.

Jeremy led her out of the room as Jenn smirked after them.

Unable to resist, she followed.

"And that's about it."

Jenn saw Jeremy as she peered through the crack in the door.

"Thanks Jeremy. I really appreciate all that you've done for me," Aelita said honestly, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

Jenn smirked as she saw Jeremy blush and smile abashedly. "There's no need to thank me," he mumbled.

Jenn sneaked back into her room with a huge grin. Her cousin _definitely_ liked this girl.

"Plan hatching hath commenced," she said quietly, rubbing her hands together.

Jenn would get them together over the break, and no one would ever suspect it, because she was just a small, innocent, eight year-old...


	2. Mistletoe Magic

POV: Jenny

_Okay… Now what's the best way to get those two clueless lovebirds together? _Jenny thought to herself. _Well, I can- no… How about I - no. I could-_Just then I bumped into uncle, jerking her out of her thoughts. " Sorry," the auburn haired girl apologized.

"It's perfectly alright Jenny."

"Jenn, please."

"Ah, I forgot. So Jenn, do you know where Jeremy and Aelita are? Lunch is almost ready," Mr. Belpois said.

"I'm pretty sure they're in Jeremy's room," Jenny answered.

"Would you mind telling them that lunch should be ready in 10 minutes?"

"I wouldn't mind at all," she said sweetly, giving an adorable smile.

"Thank you," he said, walking off.

Jenny turned in the direction of Jeremy's room, trying to think of the perfect way to get those two together. or at least one step closer.

_So, let's see, I could use the old- no , um, well, how about- I got it! _I thought suddenly. Suddenly Jenny grinned ear to ear.

_Let's have some fun,_ she thought, rubbing her hands together.

* * *

"Your cousin is very nice Jeremy," Aelita said.

"She can seem nice, but don't let her trick you. She is very bright for her age, and as mischievous as Odd."

"Like I said, must run in the family. As for being as mischievous as Odd, I highly doubt it," Aelita giggled. "So what do we do now, Jeremy?"

"Did you remember to bring...?"

"Of course I did. He's right here in the suit case," Aelita confirmed, grabbing a small doll out of the suitcase and displaying it before putting it back in.

"Okay, good, so, now what?" he asked.

"I don't know, how about a game?" Aelita asked.

"Sure, what do you want to play?"

Aelita started grinning mischievously.

"You see that grin? That sort of freaks me out," Jeremy said, stepping back and scooting on to the wall on the bed.

Aelita walked forward and started tickling him.

"Aelita! st-stop t-tickling me," Jeremy panted between bursts of laughter.

"Why, are you ticklish?"

Jeremy wisely didn't answer, although he probably couldn't have anyway, because he was laughing so hard.

While Aelita continued on tickling him, Jenny watched from the doorway, sporting a huge grin as she tried to stifle her giggles by putting a hand over her mouth, although she wasn't too successful.

"Sorry to interrupt- er, whatever this is, but it's lunch time, lovebirds," Jenny said.

Aelita stopped tickling Jeremy as they both looked at her in the doorway.

They both blushed severely, Aelita quickly backing away and Jeremy sitting up and composing himself just as Jenny walked away giggling.

Everyone was already gathered around the table when Jeremy and Aelita came into the kitchen, blushing crazily if they got within two feet of each other.

For this reason, Jenny had specifically taken the chair next to Mrs. Belpois to force them to sit together.

For dinner, they ate a special Christmas dish that Mrs. Belpois had prepared. It had been quite a meal.

"Thank you for the food," Jenny said when she was done. "It was very good."

"Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Why is everyone so quiet today?" Mrs. Belpois.

Jeremy and Aelita both blushed and kept eating, while Jenny struggled to stifle giggles.

"Aelita, how about you tell us how you met our son...?" the father asked.

"Well, we met in an old abandon factory, with a supercomputer. I was once virtual, but Jeremy materialized me on earth, where I recovered my memory."

"That's really funny, Aelita." Jenny giggled.

Luckily, the family had a sense of humor.

"So, Aelita, how did you meet our son?" the mom asked.

"My friend Odd is her cousin, and he introduced us," Jeremy said, finishing the rest of his bowl.

Aelita finished the rest of her bowl just as Jenny finished hers.

"So, now what will we be doing, mom?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, how about we put some final touches on the Christmas tree, and then we can decorate your room Jeremy," she answered.

"I can't wait for Santa to come," Jenny said.

"You know, Jenn," Jeremy began to say as he pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger, "Santa gives presents to only the good boys and girls, and if you're mean, you get coal. He also knows when you're awake and asleep every Christmas, so I would try to behave," he said.

"Oh, don't worry, Jeremy, I will. I will." she said, internally giggling.

As everybody got up, the parents said they would finish up the Christmas tree, and that they should all go decorate Jeremy's room, along with Jenny.

As Jenny walked by, she slyly grabbed some mistletoe out of a box.

_Time to give them an early Christmas present._

"Jeremy? Could you and Aelita help me with something?" the eight year-old asked.

"Sure Jenn, what is it?" Jeremy asked.

"I need you two to grab some boxes and bring them in your room."

"Jenn, you didn't booby trap my room, did you?"

"No."

Jeremy (Who was, of course, still very suspicious) and Aelita each grabbed a box, along with Jenny, and set it down.

"Why are you giggling like a crazy person?" Jeremy asked.

"That's why," Jenny giggled again, walking up to the two and pointed her finger up.

Looking up, Jeremy and Aelita both blushed as they saw mistletoe.

"You know what to do when you're under the mistletoe, right Jeremy?"

He gave Jenny a look that said: _I am so going to get you for this._

The young, blond, genius thought no more as Aelita captured his lips.

Jeremy was blushing madly when she pulled away, and Aelita, despite her smile, had a small blush of of her own.

"I've... I've never kissed anyone under mistletoe before," the pinkette admitted bashfully, the blush growing on her cheeks.

"I haven't either," Jeremy confessed,

"Well, this is very sweet and all, but... I've got to uh, do something," Jenny said as she bolted from the room.

"Jenny!" Jeremy yelled, breaking out of his daze and starting to chase after her. "You set this up!"

"Don't tell me you didn't like it!"

Aelita knew one thing for sure.

Despite both their shyness and embarrassment, _she_ had definitely enjoyed it...

* * *

Hope you liked it! This is sort of co-written... Lyokowarrior1994 writes it, and I edit, revise, add, and cut. Review!

(I know it's short... I'll try and get them longer.)


	3. Phase two

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Mph..."

Jeremy heard a faint giggle. He ignored it and turned over to his opposite side, pulling the covers higher. One day; he wanted one day. Only one day without her bothering him. Was that too much to ask?

"Hey, blockhead, wake up!" Her voice was more commanding, and there was an impatient tug on his shoulder.

Hm, that was a new one- blockhead. Okay, so one day couldn't be done. What about one morning? That would suffice, wouldn't it? In the hope that it would, Jeremy curled up more and slowed his breathing, trying to fall asleep again.

"Hey, lover boy!"

Well, it seemed like Jenny didn't do off-days.

The covers were yanked off of Jeremy, exposing the boy to the cool air. He shivered at the sudden loss of warmth, but then felt it in his cheeks. Trying not to let the blush show, he turned his head.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I want you to stop being so shy and get your girl. Hey, don't look at me like that, you know it's true. But that's not what I want currently."

Jeremy slowly pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes. "Then what _do_ you want?" It came out in an irritated yawn, as he stared at a fuzzy Jenny that was standing there in her pajamas, holding the covers. They were _his _covers. His nice, comfortable covers that he still wished he were sleeping with on.

"Breakfast is ready. Everyone else is up," Jenny grinned as she threw the covers back on him and started walked away.

Jeremy pushed them off, their warmth already lost, and fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand before putting them on. He was on his way to the kitchen,

"Oh, sorry! I see you're up, Jeremy."

"I wouldn't exactly call this up, huh?" Jeremy joked with a smile as Aelita helped him up. She laughed and they made their way to the kitchen.

After breakfast and showers, Jenny say patiently on her bed, toweling off her hair and waiting for Jeremy to arrive. She muttered words under her breath and did calculations in her head. Yes, it would work... It had to work.

There was a knock at the door. At Jenny's call, Jeremy came in and closed the door behind him, glancing briefly at the ceiling before returning his attention to her. At first, Jenny was confused, but then recognition dawned and she grinned. "Don't worry, I didn't call you here to get you two under the mistletoe," she laughed. "I have better ways of doing that..."

Jeremy flushed. "Why did you call me here, then?"

"You are going to ask Aelita on a date, mister."

Jeremy's mouth opened slightly. He closed it as pink began to rise to his cheeks.

"But... I... what?"

"Come on... I may only be eight, but you've talked about her enough for me to know that you like her," Jenny answered.

Surprised at her being so blunt, Jeremy could only blush and nod.

"Of course. Don't you want to be able to hug her, kiss her, and be able to affirm proudly that she's your girlfriend instead of stammering and stuttering?"

"Yes, but-"

"Admitting your feelings is the first step to that, which you've just accomplished. Next would be asking her on a date," Jenny explained, tilting her head.

"I- wait... Why am I talking to you about this? You're eight," Jeremy asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, but you know that I'm smarter than I look," the auburn haired girl replied, eyes sparkling.

"Well... that's a good point. But how do you know so much about this, anyway?"

Jenny shrugged, dangling her feet over the edge of the bed. "Sometimes, when I'm bored, I watch soap operas with my mom."

Jeremy blinked in response.

"Now that we've gotten that cleared up... You're going to go in the hall, knock on the door, and ask her on a date. Don't forget to compliment her; she'll love that. Now go," she said, now getting up and starting to gently push Jeremy to the door.

"But I haven't asked someone on a date before," he protested.

Jenny waved a hand, as if wiping the issue away. "You're smart; you'll figure it out. It's not that hard, anyway."

Jeremy now stood in front of Aelita's- or his own, actually -door. He nervously raised a fist to knock, hearing Jenny's door close softly behind him.

_I must be desperate if I'm listening to an eight-year-old... my cousin, too, at that,_ Jeremy thought just before knocking.

"Just a moment!" came Aelita's voice from inside.

Jeremy waited nervously as there were rustling sounds within the room.

"Hello Jeremy," Aelita said brightly as the door opened. She was barefoot, dressed in some comfortable looking burgundy pants with a plain, light pink t-shirt and was toweling off her hair.

"Hey Aelita," Jeremy responded, her happy tone of voice instantly bringing a smile to his face. "You look beautiful," he blurted, Jenny's words ringing in his ears. He immediately blushed.

"It's nothing special, but, thank you," Aelita said, smiling.

Jeremy gave an embarrassed chuckle, looking down at his feet for a moment. "Listen, I was wondering if you might want to... walk around town today, maybe see a movie... just the two of us?" he asked, looking back up and feeling a wave of heat rush to his face.

"You mean, like a date?" The words were out before she knew it, and Aelita found herself blushing.

Jeremy nodded, gaze straying toward the floor.

"That sounds... wonderful. How about after lunch?" Aelita asked, closing the distance between them to only a foot.

"That would be great," Jeremy agreed. _She's so close... _Their noses almost touched as they subconsciously gazed into each others eyes.

_I could almost... _

Jeremy felt blood rush to his cheeks. He swallowed.

_Wow. Is it just me, or do his eyes sparkle? _Aelita blushed at the thought, leaning closer.

In perfect sync, they both leaned forward slightly and closed the distance, lips pressing together. Jeremy's first impulse was to pull away, but he forced himself to relax, and managed to close his eyes. Aelita did the same, her hands on Jeremy's shoulders. His hands went to her waist.

"How adorable..." It was a whisper.

Jeremy and Aelita both opened their eyes, pulling away from each other. Mrs. Belpois was standing by the corner, holding a laundry basket and wearing a huge smile.

"Mom!" Jeremy complained as they both blushed.

"I'm sorry honey; I didn't mean to interrupt," she apologized, barely holding back a giggle as she put her hand over her mouth and walked back around the corner.

Jeremy smiled apologetically at Aelita, still blushing.

"That's okay... Anyway, I can't wait until after lunch!" she exclaimed happily, pecking him on the cheek and walking past him into the bathroom.

Jeremy smiled and rubbed his cheek, staring after the bathroom door.

"And three cheers for my lovestruck cousin!"

The sudden noise made him jump slightly, turning around to discover Jenny leaning against the door frame of her room, wearing a huge grin.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" she teased lightly.

Jeremy snorted, blushing slightly as he looked away. It wasn't exactly as hard as he had thought, but there was no way he'd admit that to Jenny.

"Can I hear a thank you?" Jenny sang.

"I don't think so."

She affectionately shoved Jeremy before heading to the living room.

He smiled slightly at her, and so that only he could hear, Jeremy whispered under his breath.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot."

* * *

"Why is Jenny grinning like that?"

After eating for three minutes straight, Aelita had finally come up for air and whispered an inquiry to Jeremy. Jenny had been smiling widely at Jeremy the entire meal.

"She's just optimistic sometimes," Jeremy said after he swallowed, continuing to eat. Although Aelita was not quite satisfied, she continued eating, and no further dialect was exchanged between the two.

"I'm finished," the young genius announced six minutes later.

Jenny covered her mouth.

"I am too," Aelita added. Both of their plates were clean, while the others were at least half full.

"My, what an appetite!" Mrs. Belpois exclaimed, scanning over the plates. "I take it the meal was good?"

"It was very good," said Aelita earnestly, nodding her head.

"Can we please be excused?" Jeremy asked.

Jenny let a giggle escape.

"Yes Jenny; is there something you'd like to say?" Mr. Belpois asked.

"Jeremy and Aelita are just eager for lunch to be over," she said. "That's why they're eating so fast."

Mr. Belpois blinked, looking confused. Before Jeremy and Aelita could say anything else, Jenny continued.

"They're going to have a nice walk around town together. _Alone._"

Jenny could see the tips of Jeremy's ears getting red.

"That sounds fun," Mrs. Belpois smiled.

"Nice job, son," Mr. Belpois grinned approvingly, clapping Jeremy roughly on the back. He blushed heavily, looking away in embarrassment. Aelita's cheeks turned the color of her hair.

"Can we please be excused?" Jeremy wondered, sounding eager to get away from his parents.

"Of course, of course," Mr. Belpois said, still smiling.

Jeremy and Aelita hurriedly got up as Jenny giggled.

"May I be excused, too? I'm full."

"Okay, honey," Mrs. Belpois said.

Jenny went straight to her room and closed the door, dialing a number on her phone.

_"Yes?"_

"I did it," Jenny said excitedly, walking back and forth in the small space. "Phase two is in action."

_"Already? It's only been a couple of days!" _the voice exclaimed incredulously.

"I told you," Jenny said triumphantly. "I told you I would get them together. Prepare to pay up."

_"Pff. You haven't gotten them totally together yet, and they still have a week and a half of break. You'll be the one paying me."_

"Never!" Jenny exclaimed. "I promise, when the break's over, they'll be boyfriend and girlfriend. You watch."

* * *

"Ready?" Jenny asked, grinning at them from the door.

Jeremy was pulling on his coat, Aelita doing the same next to him.

"Do you have to do this?" Jeremy asked, already knowing the answer. He knew his cousin so well, yet he still couldn't stop her before she did something to embarrass him in front of Aelita.

"Why, of course," Jenny said with a flourish, grin not dampening in the slightest. She adjusted the sleeve on her coat and gestured to the door. "_Someone _has to escort the happy couple out."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her but couldn't stop the hot flush that went to his face. Jenny gave him a raised eyebrow then shifted her gaze to Aelita ever so slightly. She was busy lacing up her boots and didn't notice. As Aelita struggled with a tight knot in her boots, Jenny and Jeremy had a silent conversation with different expressions, raised eyebrows, head jerks, and sometimes blushing on Jeremy's part. They stopped as she straightened, then stood.

"Ready to go?" she asked with a smile, slipping her hand into his. Feeling Jenny's smirk, Jeremy had to hold back a blush as he smiled and nodded.

The smirking turned to beaming as Jenny opened the door and gestured outside. "Have a nice date," she said sweetly.

Aelita blushed slightly as she giggled. "Thank you. I think we will." She looked at Jeremy, smiling happily as they went out the door. Jenny closed it behind them, ran to her room to get her phone, and back to the door. She dialed the same number as earlier.

"They left."

"_Really? How __in the world did you get him to go on a date?"_

Jenny leaned against the door, smirking as she watched Jeremy walk down the street with Aelita.

"You know, I may be only eight years old, but I know my cousin."

Then they disappeared from her sight.

* * *

Aw, now wasn't that cute? Who loves kids too clever for their own good? I know I do.

Now my updating focus has moved to Code: Stories, another one of my stories that's basically just a giant collection of 1k word dabbles. Expect an update in two weeks or so.


	4. Scarves and Snow

"Oh! That one, Jeremy."

The blond nodded, smiling, and felt a gentle tug on his hand as Aelita increased her pace in the direction of another shop.

_Anything faster than walking is kind of useless, _Jeremy thought. The snow was more powdered than crunchy, so their boots sank through at least two inches of snow like sand. Each breath was a white cloud in the air.

Not many others were out, as the cold was sharp and penetrating even the thickest and warmest of fleece. In fact, the thought that any sane person would be sipping a cup of hot chocolate under a comfy and certainly warm bundle of covers at home had crossed Jeremy's mind more than once.

So far Aelita and Jeremy had been to two shops—one of them for mostly jewelry, and the other a shop with, as Jeremy so delicately put it, "girl clothes". He had immediately darted out after going in, face flushed, while Aelita elected to remain inside and browse.

Jeremy shifted at the memory and turned his hand inside Aelita's, not so much for discomfort as for cold. Aelita looked back at him, the eager look on her face turning into a frown. Jeremy blinked back for a second.

"Oh, no, it's not that I don't like it, but my hand is cold." He wiggled his fingers. It seemed like that hand was jealous of the other, which was burrowed into his pocket and considerably warmer.

"Here, then." Aelita put his hand between both of hers and started to rub, then sandwiched it between her cheek and a hand. "Warmer?"

The cold did have one use, Jeremy reflected as he gave a jerky nod. It gave his cheeks an excuse to be flushed. "Uh, that's okay. Thanks."

Aelita smiled and dropped her hand.

"Hey! Peppermint Belpois; is that you?" a voice said suddenly from behind them. Aelita and Jeremy both whirled around, the look of confusion changing to recognition for the latter.

"Cindy," he said, a sudden grin springing onto his face.

A short, Odd-sized girl stood before them with a similar grin, pushing up tiny circular glasses that Aelita could not help but relate to Harry Potter's. Her eyes traveled over Aelita, an almost mischievous glint in her eyes. The glint suddenly faltered, and she darted forward to pull one of the strings on Aelita's heavy jacket so that both of them were even. She stepped back and before Aelita could say anything, nodded.

"My apologies, but they were uneven. Belpois, your glasses are crooked."

Jeremy straightened his glasses, and upon Aelita's confused look explained, "Things that are asymmetrical on people, especially clothes and jewelry, bother her."

"Alright," Aelita said, a note of suspicion in her voice.

"Peppermint Belpois, it's been so long! I think you became scrawnier. Is that boarding school not feeding you? I find that unlikely. Still good with computers? Mine was recently infected by a nasty virus. Think you could fix it? Oh, who's your friend? Odd hair." Cindy blinked at Aelita, acknowledging her for the first time for something besides symmetry issues with her clothes.

"Please don't call me that. Yes; it has been a long time. No; I haven't. Of course they are, mom; and no, I'm better. Depending on the virus. Her name is Aelita. The hair is natural," Jeremy said calmly.

"_The_ Aelita! How interesting. I've heard a lot about you," she said curiously, reaching for Aelita's hair.

_The Aelita? _She blinked.

Jeremy shook his head, putting his hand out, and Cindy dropped hers. "Right, sorry. Would you like a little background information?" she asked, referring to Aelita's now completely lost expression.

"Please," she said.

Jeremy nodded. "This is my friend Cindy. She's not at all shy, can talk forever, and has a habit for invading personal space—"

"Do not," Cindy said, but the fact that her nose was less than a foot from Jeremy's or Aelita's didn't help her argument. She noticed their discomfort and took a step back. "Okay, I do, but not all the time."

"We've been together since we were about nine—she was the first person my age to beat me at chess."

"He wins most of the time," Cindy cut in, shrugging her shoulders. "But, mind you, I can still beat him."

"You wish," Jeremy said, grinning. "As I was saying, we've been friends since but became separated once I went to Kadic. I only recently caught up with her."

"Mhmm." Cindy had stepped closer again, and Jeremy and Aelita were trying to edge backwards without seeming too obvious. "It's so good to see you again."

"Same for you," Jeremy said, smiling warmly. For some reason, Aelita felt her stomach make a small knot.

"So, she's not your girlfriend?" The question was blurted, out before Aelita had consciously thought to ask.

"No. But he is, ah, a great guy," Cindy said, quickly looking at the ground, then back up with a shy smile.

Jeremy glanced at Aelita with more curiousness than embarrassment, as if to say, _what was that for?_

Aelita could only blink back, embarrassed for asking such a question.

"Jeremy mostly tells me about you. It sounded like he had a girlfriend, but he said you weren't, so I assume you two aren't on a date. Shame," Cindy said, frowning to herself as she rearranged her scarf so both ends were even.

"Right," Jeremy said uncomfortably, avoiding Aelita's gaze. She tried not to frown.

"Would you mind if I accompanied you two to Sil's shop? After that, I must be on my way."

_Actually, I do mind, _Jeremy thought. He could already see that look in Aelita's eyes and wished desperately for it to disappear—the last thing he needed was a misunderstanding.

But it seemed terribly rude to dismiss his friend after being separated for so long. "Not at all," Jeremy said. They were only going into one store. Then she would be gone.

"Lovely!" Cindy stepped back and hustled towards the store, a bright look on her face. Jeremy glanced hesitantly at Aelita, as if pointlessly to check if it would be okay with her, but she was staring ahead with an expression not exactly of anger but devoid of the happiness she had been showing earlier. That was enough to pull a small sigh out of him.

But Aelita's face once again lit up when inside the store. Stands of various jewelry, from the cutesy trinkets to full-fledged (and fully expensive) gemstones were staggered so that a person of considerable size could move between them without disrupting the stands with ease.

Jeremy and Aelita were much smaller than considerable size. Nonetheless, Jeremy managed to bump his elbow—his funny bone, of course—on the corner of one of the stands.

He hissed with pain, glaring at the stand as if it held the blame. _It's not very funny when you hit it, _he thought, rubbing his elbow.

Jeremy wandered around the store aimlessly, careful not to hit his elbows on any more stands. The store was big enough to get separated from someone in but not to get lost, so Aelita was quickly darting off to inspect various necklaces and earrings that Jeremy didn't give more than a glance, and that glance was just for Aelita's sake, to see if it would make a good present.

He was mostly kidding himself, he knew. Jeremy already had in mind what he'd buy: a set of earrings and a necklace that matched, something Aelita had stopped to look at in the last store they'd been in.

He'd caught her staring at them—a cluster of semi-expensive, marble-sized red gems in a dangling earring, the same gem strung on a necklace, this time alternating with tiny strawberry charms.

"They're cute," she'd said simply upon his asking. She said it with a dismissive tone, but Jeremy didn't miss the way her eyes had lingered on them on the way out.

He wondered now if this store also sold them. Less than two minutes later, he spotted Aelita staring at the set with the same look in her eye.

He smiled to himself. Perfect gift.

"Definitely," someone whispered in his ear. Jeremy jerked to the side, elbow slamming into another stand. He hissed, rubbing his elbow, and turned to see Cindy blinking innocently at him.

"Didn't I tell you not to do that?" he asked.

Cindy ignored the question. "You're thinking of that as a gift," she murmured, pointing toward Aelita. The pink-haired girl hadn't noticed them, and now she drifted toward another stand.

Jeremy smiled as he nodded, his annoyed expression melting away.

"Good. It's perfect," she said. "It certainly seems like her taste. I think you picked a good girl, Belpois." Cindy winked. "But, then again, Aelita picked a great guy."

"Thanks," Jeremy said honestly. Cindy ducked her head in response, then looked back up.

"Well, if you're going to get those, you might want to do it now while you can slip them inside your jacket without her noticing."

"Ah! Right," Jeremy said as he gently took the earrings and necklace. They hurriedly made their way to the counter, Cindy stopping once to swoop down on a necklace that matched her attire.

"Could you help me with this?" she said once both items had been bought, displaying the simple but pretty necklace. "Make sure the clasps have an even number of openings, please."

"Alright," Jeremy said, feeling slightly awkward. For some reason, he felt like there would have been less or no awkwardness helping Aelita with this. Cindy slid the bag onto Jeremy's arm as she lifted her curtain of black hair in the back. Jeremy fumbled with the clasp.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, he suddenly noticed Aelita staring at both of them with a strange look on her face. She shook her head once and quickly whirled around. A small _ding _sounded, alerting anyone inside that cared that the door was being opened.

Jeremy blinked for a second, confused, then realized the situation he was in. There was a bag on his arm, and he was putting a necklace on a beaming and blushing—why was Cindy blushing?—girl.

Immediately understanding, Jeremy knocked a fist against his head.

"Not good," Cindy said as she let her hair fall, voicing his thoughts. "You going to go after her, romeo?"

Before Cindy had finished her sentence, Jeremy was already heading toward the door, unaware of the quiet sigh she released as he turned his back.

* * *

To Jeremy, at first thought, helping Cindy with her necklace was completely harmless. Aelita's first thought hadn't come until several seconds after she had left the store.

_He bought her a necklace._

The thought caused more than a little discomfort and a sort of dread.

_I can't believe..._

It had begun to snow again. Aelita re-positioned her scarf—the one that Jeremy gave her, just like he was giving another necklace to another _girl_—so that it was tighter and covered her mouth and most of her cheeks.

She stomped through the snow, mood obvious to any onlooker. Her scarf rubbed her cheeks, so much so that the thought of how Jeremy had given her the scarf simply refused to go away. Because of this, when said blond had found her pacing back and forth (it was too cold to sit on a bench) a block form the store and tried to explain himself, she couldn't contain herself and quickly cut him off.

"Why don't you get her a scarf, too?" she snapped.

"Excuse me?" Jeremy asked, a confused look on his face.

Aelita averted her gaze, suddenly wondering if she was making too big of a deal out of this. Jeremy could buy jewelery for any girl he wanted to. Technically, officially, they weren't "_together_ together", as Yumi had put it in one of their girl talks. But how together was "_together_ together"?

"I just wanted to tell you that you've misunderstood," Jeremy continued. "I was just helping Cindy put on her necklace—I didn't give it to her. She bought it herself, just now."

"Really?" Aelita asked curiously.

Jeremy nodded, and if one could nod with great sincerity, he did so.

"Ah, well." Her cheeks felt warm. Aelita suddenly felt silly, getting worked up over nothing.

_Is this how Yumi and Ulrich feel? _she wondered, recalling the many incidents where they had overreacted do to a misunderstanding, a situation that usually involved Sissi and/or William.

"Oh, shoot! I still have her bag. I'll be right back, Aelita," Jeremy said, gesturing to the bag on his arm with an apologetic smile and quickly heading back towards the shop. Just a few moments later, Cindy walked up to Aelita from another direction.

"Is everything okay? Where's Jeremy? Did he explain what happened?" she asked, quickly stepping closer.

Aelita took a step back and nodded. "Yes, but he went back to the store just now to give you your bag back."

"Oh, that's too bad; I guess I'll just wait here then. He'll come back to you when he can't find me," Cindy said. Her smile faltered.

"Is there something the matter?" Aelita asked.

"Kind of. Just..." Cindy sighed heavily and forced a smile at her. "I know I have no chance, competing with you."

"Pardon?" Aelita sounded completely confused.

"With Jeremy," Cindy explained, blushing slightly. She kicked up a small puff of snow. "I have no chance."

"You and Jeremy... you... Oh! Ah," she said awkwardly. "You like him."

"I have for a while," Cindy admitted. She reached down and opened fists Aelita didn't know she was curling, smiling gently. "But whenever we talk, it's almost always about you. There's no way I can go for him when he's already going for you."

"Ah? Really?" Now it was Aelita's turn to be embarrassed.

"Really. It's kind of disappointing, but Jeremy's happy, so I am." Cindy smiled. "And don't worry, I'm not one of those leech types that plot evil schemes at night to get rid of anyone who stands in my way."

"Glad to hear," Aelita said, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes. I do my evil plotting during the day."

"Ah... what?" Before Aelita had time to look disturbed, Jeremy returned, face flushed and out of breath.

"What did you do, turn invisible?" he asked, looking incredulous.

"Maybe. I'm magical," Cindy said, giggling. She glanced behind Aelita, a look of curiousness on her face.

"What is it?" Behind her, Aelita saw nothing more than snow.

"Nothing, I guess," Cindy said. She shook her head. "Well, I guess I'll be going then. It was great to see you, Jeremy." She stepped forward, hesitating slightly, and hugged him. Her eyes seemed to tell Aelita, _just this one last time. _

Aelita smiled in understanding.

"Same to you," Jeremy said, unaffected by the hug. He was mostly glancing at Aelita, trying to tell what she would think of it. When he saw her smile, he relaxed.

"Have a good time, you two." She threw one last smile in their direction before going off, leaving Jeremy and Aelita in awkward silence.

Jeremy glanced sideways at Aelita and quickly looked away when their gazes met. A second later, he chided himself. Aelita didn't want to go out and be ignored.

"Hey, Jeremy!" He looked back at her excited expression, head tilted up. "It's snowing!"

Jeremy looked up in time to see a white flake drift down and land on his glasses, melting into a droplet of water.  
He made a noise of annoyance and wiped it off, only to have a wall of cold slam into the side of his face with a _psh._

Yelping, he brushed the snow off and became even more annoyed. When he saw Aelita's bright, teasing expression, the annoyance turned into a desire for revenge.

Aelita was already scooping another ball of snow out of the ground. Jeremy quickly grabbed his own and jumped to the side, stumbling slightly. It was moments like these that he wished he'd had more coordination, and despite it, knew he wouldn't trade skills like Ulrich's for his smarts.

Cold zipped up his spine, starting at the shoulder. By this time Jeremy had gotten Aelita in the neck, and she squealed, trying to brush it off before it went down her shirt. They threw several more, careful to avoid anyone else that was passing. The number of people steadily dwindled as the snow came down harder, and Jeremy noticed that they were the only ones on the sidewalk. Cars too had stopped coming.

"Could we get something warm?" Aelita asked in a half-gasp, breath hanging visibly in the air before her. Despite the sweat on her brow and color in her cheeks, she was shivering. "I'm cold."

"An understatement, it seems. Absolutely; I know a cafe about three blocks from here. It shouldn't take long to get there." Jeremy rubbed his own hands in an attempt to coax feeling back into them, then stuck them in his pockets. "Come on."

Aelita nodded, smiling, and followed.

* * *

_That was close. _

Jenny pressed her back against the corner and tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear, puffing out breaths. She listened to the conversation, paying just enough attention to listen to what they were saying. Realizing that any one of them could come around the corner at any time, Jenny rushed into the nearest shop and behind a clothes rack. Less than a minute later, someone went in, and Jenny moved farther into the clothes.

"Are that cold? If you are, you can borrow my scarf."

Jenny felt cold fabric press against her. She yelped, gripping one of the shirts on the rack and fell. A wave of fabric fluttered down, covering Jenny's head. She struggled for a moment, feeling herself blush as someone pulled the shirts off of her. Cindy stood doubled over, her nose less than a foot from Jenny's.

"Get up. Sorry about my sister," she said, looking at someone Jenny couldn't see and offering a hand. She took it and stood, putting the shirt back. The middle aged man behind the counter nodded.

"Thank you," Jenny said once she had composed herself, and pulled Cindy out of his view. "Why did you lie?"

"You're eight, if you haven't forgotten. You'll be looked at as a lost child."

"I'm eight and eleven twelfths, and I'm not lost. How do you know me, anyway?"

"I've heard about you through Jeremy. And, no one else knows that you aren't lost." Cindy blinked for a moment, then frowned. "I do not approve."

"What?"

"I don't approve of what your spying on them."

"I'm not spying. I was sent for milk."

At this, Cindy actually giggled. "Sure. An eight year-old that's currently in a clothing store was sent out, alone, for milk right before a huge snowstorm."

Jenny shrugged and brushed nonexistent dirt off of her pants. "I just want to make sure it goes okay so he's happy. You nearly ruined it," she said.

Cindy shook her head. "It's not my fault if Aelita misunderstood. I'm not going to tell them," she added suddenly in a firm tone, "but I really wish you'd stop spying on them."

"I have to," she said simply, and peered through the glass at the front of the store. Cindy didn't argue and stood, watching the snow outside for several seconds. They could hear the wind howling as it whipped against the glass, seemingly in attempt to penetrate it. Someone hurried by, face partly covered by a thick coat and hat. Otherwise, the snow-covered sidewalks were barren of people.

When Cindy's watch made a beeping noise a minute later, she readjusted her scarf and headed toward the door.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be heading to the nearby cafe. I want to get trapped by the storm in a place with food, drinks, and a bathroom," she said.

"Why not go home?"

Cindy pointed at the door with an expression that said the answer to her question should've been obvious. "That won't take more than ten minutes, if even, to get dangerous. I won't make it in time. You should come with me."

"I'd rather not. I'll be fine in here," Jenny said.

"I don't like the idea of leaving an eight year—eight and eleven twelfths year-old by herself in a store, even if she is not lost."

"I'll be fine," Jenny said again.

Cindy frowned but was silent. After a few moments, she turned toward the door, braced herself for the cold, and went out. Jenny felt the sharp, icy breeze buffet her face before the door swung closed. Cindy gave her a last look through the glass, which Jenny returned stoically.

Then Cindy was gone.

* * *

That took too long.

Sorry about that, school started up and brought writing to a stop.


End file.
